Proteas batting stalwart AB de Villiers is amongst those foreign cricketers who have become a household name in India, courtesy of IPL. And thus his staggering popularity comes as no surprise. He has been part of the IPL ever since its inception and his involvement in the league for the last decade has earned him as much love and respect as is received by Indian favourites like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

On the other hand, the South African himself also acknowledges the affection he has been getting from the Indians and that the nation has been an integral part of his life. Serving as a testament to that, De Villiers proposed to his wife Danielle at Taj Mahal back in 2012 when he was playing in the IPL. And recently, the former South African Test skipper revealed he wished to name his second kid, however, he named his second son as John Richard in August, 2017.

During an interview with sports anchor Vikram Sathaye at his YouTube talk show, What The Duck, De Villiers expressed this wish after listening to the story of Jonty Rhodes naming his daughter ‘India’. He first came up with a naming option as ‘Karnataka’ but later changed it to Taj, stating that it would be a strong name for a boy.

De Villiers has a special bond with India

The 34-year-old tied the knot with Danielle in 2013 and later in 2015, he was blessed with a baby boy whom he named Abraham. At that time, he was a part of South Africa’s tour of Bangladesh and he opted out of the squad so as to be by his wife’s side. The couple gave birth to the second son, John Richard in August, 2017.

Since then, AB de Villiers has been a regular visitor to India, accompanied by his son. Earlier in this season, he shared a video on his social media account where the father-son duo was seen having some leisure time inside the Royal Challengers dressing room.